The Gregory Proviso

DC Attorney General Irvin Nathan has declined to prosecute NBC’s insufferable David Gregory despite his finding that Gregory clearly violated DC law. Citing the First Amendment, he has exercised his prosecutorial discretion to decline prosecution in consideration of Gregory’s limited possession and educational purpose displaying the ammunition magazine during his interrogation of Wayne LaPierre. Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple highlights Nathan’s disparagement of NBC:

A telling portion of Nathan’s letter on the Gregory issue scolds NBC News for a “feeble and unsatisfactory” effort at determining whether showing the high-capacity clip on air would comply with D.C. laws. Reports have circulated that NBC News got conflicting information on the legality, another consideration referenced in Nathan’s letter: “Although there appears to have been some misinformation provided initially, NBC was clearly and timely advised by an MPD employee that its plans to exhibit on the broadcast a high capacity-magazine would violate D.C. law, and there was no contrary advice
from any federal official.”

More on this very angle from Nathan to the lawyer representing NBC News and Gregory: “While you argue that some NBC employees subjectively felt uncertain as to whether its planned actions were lawful or not, we do not believe such uncertainty was justified and we note that NBC has now acknowledged that its interpretation of the information it received was incorrect.”

“Feeble and unsatisfactory effort” stands as a perfect description of Gregory and Meet the Press generally. At least there is that.